<p>I'm a Senior in a NY high school and was accepted into McGill's Faculty of Science for Biology. Of course, at first, I was ecstatic... I mean, it's always been my dream school because of the culture, the French aspect, the night-life, not to mention the world-renowned Science and Biology programs, etc.... but now reality is setting in and I realize that there are many factors that must be considered when making my decision, one of these, and probably the most important, being: price. In your honest opinions, is the McGill experience worth the $10,000 more than SUNY Binghamton's tuition (I will most likely be accepted into the honors program there)? What doors will McGill open for me that will be closed to me if I attend Bing (especially when it comes to Med school)? Will I be comfortable as a U.S. student studying at McGill? Or will I feel like a tiny fish in a big pond? I know I'm supposed to be independent... but how do I know if a big city like Montreal is the right setting for me? Also, the workload: McGill isn't all about having fun and soaking in culture... how grueling is the coursework? I'm just nervous. ANY insight would be appreciated.</p>
<p>Oh... well, no one's even responded to this yet... but I'm also considering Geneseo and Brandeis.</p>
<p>I have a lot of family in New York State and they tell me that Geneseo if the most respected school in the SUNY system.
Just a thought</p>
<p>Funny you should post this; I am in similar the situation of considering McGill, Brandeis, Tufts, Rutgers, and Binghamtom. For me the question was not too hard. Brandeis and Tufts are simply too expensive. I hope to attend Grad school and spending 50k a year on an undergraduate degree made no sense for me and is not fiscally responsible for my family. </p>
<p>I live in New Jersey so Binghamton and McGill are around the same price for me. However, I was also admitted into the honors program at Rutgers with a decent scholarship. This makes Rutgers about 13K a year less than McGill. However for me the decision was simple. McGill is a excellent school with an outstanding reputation. Montreal is a great city that provides a unique opportunity to live an learn as an independent adult. In my opinion at least McGill wins out by miles. </p>
<p>Although McGill is more expensive that my local state school it is still much cheaper than a private university. For me the environment, grade of education, and reputation at McGill is worth the extra money. McGill is known for grade deflation. This means if you can maintain a relatively high GPA you chances of getting into Grad school improve dramatically.</p>
<p>Clearly my experience may not apply to your situation but I hope it was helpful. Best of luck with your decision. In the end they are both good schools where you can get an excellent education.</p>
<p>I would also go over to the Binghamton forum and ask the same question. Its good to get both sides of the story.</p>
<p>Wow, yeah, our situations are VERY similar! I was going to apply to Tufts but immediately ruled it out after financial problems hit my family pretty hard. May I ask what your major is?</p>
<p>Wait, this is really creepy, but do you know anyone who goes to Clarkstown North?</p>
<p>I'm planning on majoring in Political science with an emphasis on international relations. So going to school outside of the USA is, for me, a really valuable opportunity. I can't say that I know anyone at Clarkstown North. I'm actually not even sure if that is a high school or a college? Again best of luck, let me know what you decide.</p>
<p>(sigh) I think it's already been decided for me. My parents don't like how the tuition is supposed to increase, like... crazy amounts for Science. So, Bing it is! I'll save up the money for Med school.</p>
<p>^I wouldn't worry. Your GPA will be higher at SUNY. I would say come to McGill for med but it's pretty hard if you aren't a Quebec resident.</p>
<p>@endgame
I'm fairly certain Binghamton is more respected than Geneseo, although Geneseo is definitely second.</p>
<p>Anyway, back to the OP, I would say that it's worth the extra $10,000 only if you couldn't stand the idea of living in, relatively, the middle of nowhere. (This is why I didn't apply to SUNY)
Even if you do go to McGill, at least know that you are receiving a great deal. Few institutions of that prestige and academic excellence are that cheap.
(Or, at least, that cheap for New Yorkers. British students have LSE and Oxbridge for ~£3000/$4500, Californians have Berkeley, etc. The only schools of similar stature that's subsidized in NY are Cornell's contract colleges, but they have fairly limited degree choices.)</p>